Friday, December 30, 2011

ஆரபி

"சத்தியமா சொல்றேன்டா அதே பொண்ணு தான். இந்த தரம் சீக்ரமாவே கண்டுபுடிச்சுட்டேன் அவ இருந்த கோச்ச. நான் ஏன் பொய் சொல்ல போறேன்?"

"என்னவோ சொல்றடா மகேஷா. எவ பின்னாடியோ சுத்திண்டு அப்பா பணத்த வீணடிக்காத. நா சொல்றத சொல்லிட்டேன் இதுக்கப்பறம் ஒன்னோட இஷ்டம்"

"என்னடா இப்படி எல்லாம் சொல்லற. யார் கேட்டாலும் சாய் தான் எனக்கு தோஸ்து-னு சொல்ற என்கிட்ட போயி எப்படியோ போங்க்றியே?"

"ஆரம்பிக்காதடா  ஒன்னோட புராணத்த. என்ன பண்ணனும் நான் ஒனக்கு?" 

"எதுவும் வேண்டாம். நான் சொல்றத கேட்டுண்டு பொறுத்துக்கோ. இத எல்லாம் ஷேர் பண்ணிக்க நேக்கு யார்டா இருக்கா இந்த ஊர்ல?"

"பேசாத படுடா. லேட்டா போனா அந்த எகனாமிக்ஸ் வாத்தியார் கடன்காரன் வெய்வான் கம்மனாட்டி னு எல்லா பொண்ணுங்க முன்னாடியும். நாளைக்கு சாயங்காலம் பேசிக்கலாம். தூங்கு"

சொல்லிவிட்டு தூங்கிவிட்டான் சாய். மகேஷ் தூக்கம் இழந்து ஒரு வாரம் ஆனது. 

"நாளைக்கு அவ பேரயாவுது கண்டு புடிக்கணும்" நினைத்துகொண்டே கடந்த ஆறு நாட்களின் நிகழ்வுகளை மனத்திரையில் ஓட்டிப்பார்தான் 

முதல் முறை அவன் அவளை பார்த்தது தாம்பரம் ரயில்வே ஸ்டேஷனில் தான். அண்ணலும் நோக்கினான் அவளும் நோக்கினாள்-இல் பாதி நடந்தது. அண்ணல் நோக்கினான் நோக்கினான் நோக்கினான்.

கடலும் ஆறும் ஒன்றோடோன்று பிணைகின்ற இடத்தில் நீர் இருக்குமே ஒரு கருநீல வண்ணத்தில், அந்த நிறத்தில் ஒரு புடவை. ரயில் பெட்டியில் உள்ள கைப்பிடிக்கு இணை குடுத்து அவள் காதில் உள்ள தோடுகள் ஆட, அவன் கண்ணிற்கு மட்டுமே பட்டிருக்க வேண்டுமே என்று தெரிந்த தெய்வத்தஎல்லாம் கூப்பிட வைத்தாள். ஆஞ்சநேயர் ஐயப்பன் உட்பட .

முதல் நாள் இப்படியே சென்றது. மாம்பலத்தில் இறங்கி விட்டாள் அவள். கூடவே அவன் மனமும் கால் முளைத்து ஓடிச்சென்று அவள் வலதுகையின் சிறு விரலை பிடித்துக்கொண்டது.

அடுத்தநாள் அதே ரயில். இளஞ்சிவப்பு நிற புடவை. அருகில் சென்று முகத்தை இன்னும் தெளிவாக பார்க்கலாம் என்று தைரியத்தை வரவைத்துக்கொண்டு அவளுக்கு ஒரு மூன்றடி தள்ளி நின்றான். 

கையில் இருந்த ரேடியோவிலிருந்து மகாராஜபுரம் நாகராஜன்  "ஜூதமுராரே" பாடுவது  கேட்டது அவனுக்கு. "சாயங்காலம் நாமளும் ஒரு காசெட்டு வாங்கணும்" என்று தனக்குதானே சொல்லிக்கொண்டான்.

இப்படியே நான்கு நாட்கள் கழிந்தது. 

ஐந்தாவது நாள். பேசியே தீர வேண்டும் என்ற முடிவுடன் காலையில் கோவிலுக்கெல்லாம் சென்றுவிட்டு கிளம்பினான். 

கண்ணுக்கு இதம் தரும் கிளிப்பச்சையில் புடவை ஒன்று அணிந்திருந்தாள். "இவ்வளவு அழகு ஒருத்திக்கு ஆகாதும்மா" என்ற பிரம்மிப்புடன் நடந்தான் அவளை நோக்கி. 

இன்று பாலமுரளிகிருஷ்ணாவின் "தீன தயாலோ". கண்ணை மூடி ரசித்து கொண்டிருந்தாள். இவனும் பாட்டு முடிந்தவுடன் பேசிடலாம் என்று காத்துக்கொண்டேஇருந்தான். மீனம்பாக்கம் தொடங்கி சைதாபேட்டை வரை இழுத்துக்கொண்டே இருந்தார் பாலமுரளி. 

"அப்பாடா. ஒரு வழியா முடிஞ்சுது" என்று எண்ணிக்கொண்டே "எக்ச்குஸ் மீ?" என்றான்.

"அட மகேஷா !! சௌக்கியமா டா? எட்டாவதுல பாத்தது. எவளோ மாறிட்ட டா நீ! மீச எல்லாம் மொளச்சுடுத்து. ஞாமகம் இருக்கோல்லியோ என்ன? சாம்பு மாமா பையன் டா. சக்கரபாணி. எறங்கு கீழ. கோமதி சங்கர் ல காராமணி மிச்சர் சுட சுட போட்டுருப்பான். வா போயி சாப்டுண்டே பேசலாம். ஆறு வருஷ கதை பாக்கி இருக்கு பேச!"

"பூஜைல கரடி மாறி நோழஞ்சுட்டு காராமணி கேக்கறது பார் பக்கி" என்று சபித்துக்கொண்டே "கூடவே டிகிரி  காப்பியும் " என்று சக்கரபாணி சொன்னதை காதில் வாங்கிக்கொண்டே இறங்கினான்.

ஆறாவது நாள் தூக்கம் போச்சு.

ஏழாம் நாள். "இன்னிக்கு அவ பெயராவது  கேட்டுடுவேன்" என்று சாயிடம் சபதம் போடாத குறை. சொல்லிவிட்டு கிளம்பினான்.

அதே ரயில். சவுக்காரம் விளம்பரத்தில் வர அளவுக்கு வெண்மையான நிறத்தில் ஒரு புடவை, கருப்பு பூக்களுடன். "சினிமாக்காரியா இருந்தா அப்பா ஒத்துப்பாளா?" என்ற கவலையெல்லாம் வரத்தொடங்கியது அவனுக்கு.

அருகில் தோழி போலும். "இன்னிக்கும் முடியாதோ என்று கவலையோடு அவளை நோக்கி பார்த்தான். அவளும் நோக்கினாள்"

பாம்பே ஜெயஸ்ரீயின் "ஸ்ரீ சரஸ்வதி"  ஒலித்தது ரேடியோவிலிருந்து.

விரல்களால் ஏதோ சேதி சொன்னாள் அவள் தோழியிடம்.

"இந்தாங்க இத படிங்க" என்று மடித்த காகிதம் ஒன்றை கொடுத்தாள் அவள் தோழி.

"ஆறு நாளா ஒரே ராகத்துல பாட்டு கேட்டுண்டு இருக்கேனே. இன்னுமா புரியலை? அசடு.!" என்று ஆரம்பித்தது அந்த கடிதம்.

அவள் பெயர் ஆரபி.

Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it is 2012.


2012 is here and like the learned of today has told us to, we conveniently have ignored all scientific beliefs and have decided to believe the Mayans. Though the linguists have managed to understand not a single character of the Mayan script they are pretty sure that the Mayans believed that the world would end precisely on the 21st of December 2012. Some insufficiently educated scientists claim that when it is 21st of December elsewhere it would be 22nd in Australia but the theologists have strong evidence of the Mayan inscriptions. Now that we don't have a choice but to believe that the world would power off in December, we might as well prepare ourselves for the end. Though the power of the Almighty is way beyond the comprehension of man, the world has been gifted with a few super powers like Chuck Norris who might end up saving the world after all. 


After rigorous sessions of brainstorming the United Nations superpower committee has narrowed down to the following and wants the committees of the other organisations to vote in favour of one of them.


Plan 1: 


Our first resort would be Sachin Tendulkar. As always he will be the man of the hour. For those who are raising an eyebrow along with irrelevant questions like "How?" the committee has the following answer. Sachin Tendulkar would stall from scoring his 100th 100 well past the 21st of December as he has got plans to visit Australia and New Zealand along with his family at the expense of the BCCI during the next world cup. He has assured that he will score his hundredth ton during the India England series of 2015 where Dravid's son is all set to make his debut. Since Sachin would not have scored his hundredth ton by 21st of December the world cannot possibly come to an end. Brilliant ain't it?


Well, if at all Sachin fails to deliver by scoring his century we have back ups.


Plan 2: 


Anna Hazare has promised that he would go on a fast unto death against the end of the world with just an hour's break everyday for lunch.


Plan 3:


Hrithik Roshan and Abishek Bacchan are our next resort. They have confirmed that the script for Dhoom-22 is ready and they would do all that they can to stop the world from shutting down in December. When pestered consistently they revealed that the story has an amazing chase sequence which was inspired from a similar sequences in Dhoom-1 to Dhoom 21. Abhishek also added that the Bacchan daughter makes her debut in that movie and said that he will do all that it takes to enjoy that proud moment. 


Plan 4: 


Vijay Tv has promised that they'll conduct the finals of Super singer on the 21st of December. Their event will make sure that the whole world is distracted from the destruction happening outside while the people are glued to their tv sets. Just like their previous editions the finals would extend till the next day as this time the fathers of the contestants have also promised to cry. 


Plan 5:


Plan 5 is the god of all back ups. If all the above plans fail, we'd be consulting the only man who can make anything possible- Rajnikanth.


Happy new year :)





Monday, December 12, 2011

..And all fall down.

"Ajay! Be a responsible brother and take care of your sisters. Look at the Pooja. Careful, Ajay." Lalitha screamed through the living room window above the noise the vacuum cleaner was making.

"Maa. I'll take care. They're just playing. Don't worry", said the pseudo responsible eleven year old.

Lalitha was married to Ashok. Ashok was an affectionate husband. A chemical engineer turned Human resources manager. He knew how to handle people. And Lalitha was a Math teacher at the neighborhood school. They were a happy family of five. Ajay the eldest was in class seven while the younger ones, the twins,  Priya and Pooja were in class three.


*****                                                            


"Lalitha, Vinay wants to meet you. He looked a bit worried.", said one of their mutual friends.

"I'll meet him on the way back home."



"The fuck is this Lalitha? What is happening? I go out of town for a week and your dad sets you up with some other guy? He promised right? He said he'd wait.". To say Vinay was agitated was like saying winters are quite cool in Kashmir.


"I know, Vinay. Calm down. He says he won't marry me off to some punk"


"I'm a musician. Not a punk"


"I know. He doesn't. What should I do, Vinay?"
"Stand up to him. I can't take you with me now. Stall for a couple of years. Can't you do that? You didn't say 'yes', did you?"
There was no reply.


"You did? You agreed? Fuck!"


"No. I did not. But I didn't say no either. He is like, mom and he are getting old. They have to make sure I settle well and all that"


"I am trying, Lalitha. It's not like I don't want to get settled. I still don't think dropping out from engineering was a mistake. I love the guitar. I love you as much. Wait! It is not Bharath right? Tell me it is not him. It should be him. Software engineer, my foot. His codes can't make people happy. My music can. Tell me it is not him!"


"No it is not him. Why would it be him? High school was a mistake. Why would you even ask that question, Vinay?"


"I'm sorry. He is better than me in every way. Except that he is an asshole. Also I love you more. He earns a handful. he was the ideal student in school."


"It doesn't matter Vinay. It doesn't matter if he earns a handful. It doesn't matter if he is my dad's favorite. You're the better person because he chose to leave and you didn't."


*****


"Pooja. Don't sit on the ground. Get up now. Come lets play "ringa ringa". Amma, look at Pooja here. Get up, now"


"I'll be done with this room in ten minutes. Hang on till then"


*****


Lalitha weds Ashok. Yes, it did happen. There was no fairy tale episode where Lalitha could've eloped with Vinay and lived happily ever after. Alas, "happily ever after" is a theorist's perception of life. Vinay returned home to this news and was not outraged or saddened. He was rather helpless. It was a perfect marriage. Some US returned MBA fellow they said. He couldn't contact her. Even facebook did not lend a hand.


It's been twelve years and three months. Vinay had grown numb. But the fact that he finally found out where she lived and with whom. He decided to give her a surprise. He reached Lalitha's place. He saw the kids playing in the garden. Smiles were exchanged. He felt the pain after a long time. It should have been his kids which she bore. And then reality struck. The garden wouldn't have been this big. The house wouldn't have been this huge. Lalitha did settle well. Just like how her dad wanted her to. 




Vinay went in search of her. Madras. Then he thought someone said something about Bangalore. So he went there. He gave up. It is a huge country. Maybe they left the country. He took up drinking. He was a familiar face in almost every bar in Bangalore. He started playing the guitar in one of those bars. He had a stomach to fill. He had found a job for himself. 


*****


He knocked the door. Lalitha was more shocked than surprised. She didn't say a word. The sunlight from the sharp blade fell on her face. He closed her mouth. She couldn't scream above the vacuum cleaner's noise.

"Amma! Look at Pooja. She is playing with the mud again" Ajay came running. She breathed her last and the vacuum cleaner died. He turned towards the kids.

Pooja and Priya were holding hands "Husha, busha, all fall down..."








Friday, December 9, 2011

I might as well join the bandwagon

This post can also be titled "A day in the life of " or just in case the limelight misses you "How I joined a billion people in worrying about Tendulkar's ton :-)" 


Before you get all worked up and go "the fuck is this, the fuck is that" on the comments section, I'd like to make four things clear:
1. I'm as much a fan of Sachin as you are. You are probably better because no matter what I say, you will claim so.


2. Sachin will NOT read this blog post even if his astrologer says that reading this will make getting the 100th hundred easier.


3. It's an undeniable fact that Sachin is one of the greatest ever to have swung the willow because none has tried denying it in the first place. Also because it is kinda true.


4. Read points 1-3 until you are clear.


It is indeed sad that a handful of recent happenings have stolen the thunder from Sachin, who, now probably is at some dimly lit bar in Melbourne drinking away his woes. It is important to get over sorrow to become successful. The popular saying goes 'jo jeeta hai woe hi sikkandar'. It has been a real tight competition among Sachin, Kapil Sibal, Anna Hazare and a bunch of corrupt politicians. But in the end, cricket has been the winner, every time.


Godwin's law says that every discussion on the internet will sooner or later end up in Nazi bashing. The Indian version of it is that every discussion will end up with the conversationalists worrying about Tendulkar's hundred not unlike the Tambrahm parent concerned about the son's centum in Mathematics or a bad joke on death and destruction. I ask you one simple question which I have asked myself numerous times in vain, why?




Immediate attention and all that, but there is an etiquette to make jokes, right? Everything is not a joke. There was a fire in a hospital at Calcutta today. The death toll reached 20. And somewhere someone has been making "Who will reach 100 first? Death toll or Sachin?" No expletive can express how cruel this is. It's a welcome change that people have started taking things light. You move on, make a couple of jokes and laugh about it. But when? Not when Rome is still burning. If you come to me with "Nero became famous because he played when Rome was burning. Not when Rome was, well, not burning" I will reply with "fornicate thee" in street language. I'm not asking you to cut down the jokes completely or something like that. I spend major part of my day coming up with pathetic jokes myself. But there is a line and most of us are crossing it even before we tweet or put up a facebook update. 


Wait. I know what you are thinking.I asked you not to talk about Sachin everywhere but I did here.
I asked you not to make jokes about death but I did here.


I being one among you in the society will escape with the same excuse. Everyone is busy coming up with stuff like this, so, I might as well join the bandwagon.

Sunday, November 13, 2011

Not a love story

It was a killer smile. She looked at me after sipping from her cup of coffee and smiled with the milky mush. That was the moment for me. Who would expect to be swept off their feet by a girl's mustache? 


I had just broken up with a girl. She was caring, beautiful and smart. But something didn't work out. We had been going out for a couple of years. We thought we'd found each other. Soul mate and all that. We were planning to get married and then things went bad. I had to break it. And I did it, for the two of us. She was disappointed. Threw tantrums like a kid. Yes, a kid, that was what she was. But things moved on. I hadn't heard from her for a while then.

And there I was looking at the most beautiful pair of green eyes. I asked her if we could go out for a cup of coffee and realised the foolishness of the question only after she choked on her coffee, laughing. A few hours, days and weeks later, we were going out, officially. 









It was our first month anniversary and her birthday was a couple of days away. I thought I'd give her an early birthday surprise. I took her to my place. Made the best dinner arrangements I could and there we were in the garden, under the starlit sky having what was probably the best conversation in silence. I was falling more and more in love with her. I hoped she did too for I had neither her beautiful eyes nor the killer smile.

She reminded me of my ex in more than one way. She was everything that she wasn't and everything that she was. I felt this need to love her for I thought someone else would come and take my place. It was like a kid's love towards the mother. Holding the hands ever so tight when the kid sees other children more due to fear of losing her than the love towards.

We had finished eating. I stood up, took her hand and we had a walk around the garden. I wished time stood still. I wished the dawn never broke. I wished there wasn't a limit to love.

We kissed. Gently. It was a cold night and I felt like it was summer. She said my lips tasted funny. In a good way though. She loved to say my name. We kissed again. I could feel the blood flowing through my veins. I felt a warm, surging pain. I didn't realise it was indeed my blood. I found the knife on the dinner table missing, only to find it sticking out of me.

It took only a couple of minutes for the fog to clear. But then it was too late.  She was everything the other girl was. She was here to take my blood for I had taken the one's that she shared with. The dawn broke as I lay there still.



That was the last thing I saw. It was a killer smile.

Thursday, November 10, 2011

First kiss




There are so many sweet incidents, memories and many random events which wouldn’t classify as anything meaningful to be shared. They made my world. Once in class seven, I was frantically walking around the class searching for something that I had lost. I didn’t notice that she was standing next to me. I was moving my hands all around the place and screaming at someone. She was apparently talking to someone nearby. My hands which were swinging in random directions made contact with her teeth. That was the closest any twelve year old would come to getting kissed. I remember laughing over this when I told her all about the incident a few years from then.




.

Saturday, November 5, 2011

Doctor Doctor everywhere not a book to read

Chennai,
5th November  2011.



The honorable Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, or TamizhNaad as it is soon going to be renamed to, has come up with quite a few revolutionary plans to get all the passed out MBBS students to get recruited.

One of the reporters who interviewed the honorable CM just after the election results recollects that, when asked how the CM has planned to make Tamizhnaad into a prosperous state, "Well of course, by building hospitals. Health is wealth. And all izz swell." quipped our particularly healthy CM. "Pun intended in block letters" added the reporter.

As said, our CM kept aside the problems like, inflation rising like a thirteen year old's dick, oil prices changing like British weather, educationalists taking the academics of the state to spin and a few million insignificant others just because they were unnecessary distractions while she was meticulously planning and practising her speeches to be delivered during the inaugural functions of the multi-specialty hospitals that are to be built. And I would remind you that these are being done to make TamizhNaad into a healthy state. 



When asked how she was going to manage the funding for these multi-specialty hospitals, she answered that the previous government had already blown enough money and has constructed buildings that were wrongly advertised as 'Madras's pride' which in her opinion are just fancy buildings that occupy space and are nearly useless. " Imagine the tourist population that TamizhNaad would attract if the Omandur estate and the Azhagappa Chettiyar grounds had remained as unmanned forest areas with all it's wilderness." She couldn't recollect why those places were useful but stressed that they should've been useful as our ancestors (by whom she means M.G. Ramachandran) could not have been wrong. 


Saying that, she said she would move all the books in the 'Anna centenary library' to the old secretariat  building as it was almost always empty as her cabinet ministers were alien to attending assembly sessions. She added that as the buildings were already in place she can concentrate on looting the money which she would allocate to the construction of the existing buildings. She beamed with pride after laying out her smart plans.




The following excerpt from the interview with her will make all others envy the state of TamizhNaad.

Reporter: "What would be your answer to the people who have been using the library regularly as it unarguably has been one of the best things that has happened to the city?"



TamizhNaad CM: "How can they be so silly? Doctors are educated people. They will have answers to everything that these people were searching in the books. If you refuse to believe me please listen to the group of doctors waiting outside my gate. They are chanting "Amma Vaazhga" which clearly is an example of a very profound interpretation of the first thirukkural."


We had to cut the interview short as the honorable CM of TamizhNaad was on her way to examine a few newly constructed buildings which will soon be turned into multi-specialty hospitals


Public reactions varied from a respectable "otha dei" to eye pleasing displays of burning effigies, which the CM of TamizhNaad dismissed as extended Diwali celebrations.

Engineering students who started their course during the DMK period have been left to wonder if their degrees would be converted into MBBS degrees.

Vijay TV is starting a new show where the participants predict the next location that will be turned into a multi-specialty hospital. The winner gets a brand new apartment at 'Temple Blue' Oragadam which will eventually be turned into a multi-specialty hospital.




PS: Please click the following link. Sign in and spend two minutes and fill the petition. This will help you save the Anna Centenary Library. It's free. Petition to save the Anna Centenary library  


Saturday, October 15, 2011

People

Before I begin, I would like to mark upon the fact that today marks the blog's completion of two years. I would like to thank everyone who's been instrumental in making me start, write and stick to the blog despite hitting lows every now and then. As said, it's the people and not the content that has made this page what it is.

I have been meeting new people. And have been losing as many. None stays forever. Something that you learn every time someone leaves yet it pains as much every single time. Probably more.

It's all a sugar coated lie. But something that we love to undergo. Something that we got used to.

New lessons have been learnt. To appreciate success. I am almost twenty and it saddens me that there are people who had accomplished ten times more than what I have when they were my age. There is one substitute for hard work, harder work.  Success doesn't seem to motivate people as they say in inspirational speeches. I learnt that one must be driven by failure and should fear failure.

In all the noise that's around us, we lose track of time that passes by silently. It's been two wonderful years. And hoping to continue this. Do keep visiting. Spread the word. Thank you.

So long :)




Thursday, October 6, 2011

They took away our Jobs

The greatest superhero of our time did not wear a cape. Was not clad in a dark suit with a mask. He wasn't found riding on horses. He was one among us, yet distinct. He was walking alongside millions of us all the while being miles ahead. He was the essence of confidence. He was clad in a black turtleneck and a blue jean.

He is innovation. He is inspiration.  He is immortal. He is the Apple of our i.

RIP Steve.




Saturday, October 1, 2011

It's over.

It's over. Bye


He was staring at the screen. It took a whole of three minutes for it to sink in. He didn't know how to handle this. He thought he would try calling her. But it was late and he didn't want to land her into trouble. He stayed up for a long time, wondering where he went wrong. It was just another ordinary day made extra ordinary where the extra was because of her. He made her laugh. They exchanged 'I love you-s' and virtual hugs. Was it all a lie? What would have made her say that? He broke down. The clock struck 12.

He got a text from her which said,

'Damn you TRAI' 

Sunday, September 25, 2011

Bada Bejaara pochu

What? What is the problem with you? I’m simply asking. It shouldn’t rain for half an hour? It rains when we are all asleep and the roads start playing spot the difference with the drainage. Shouldn’t we travel at all? Leave this aside. At least some roads are okay. But traffic. I can’t even begin to describe.

Who is that genius who coined the term ‘crossroads of life’? This is something called metaphor you fools.  But no, you don’t know that. In the middle of the road only you will get wonderful thoughts. What are you? Tolstoy? You stand at the junction and stare at passing vehicles and smile at people who are honking the horns. Idiot they are not applauding you, they are asking you to move.

And then the families, large ones with grand old thathas and kids with shoes that make noise, who are on the way to a wedding. You and all should catch a lorry and go to a wedding. Why are you crossing roads like some group of protesters? The wife will drop her ara mozham malliga poo only when she is crossing the road. The old lady will remember that she didn’t turn off the cylinder. Why do you crawl from one side of the road to other? That baby ohmygod it won’t stop crying. 

Hey, you lady. Your dog will go for sussu only in main road ah? No, no? Then take it for a walk in your neighbourhood. We all know you have spent 15,000 in buying that dog. If only it had a job it would give 10 rupees extra to escape from your house. You won’t give food or water but you want it to go for sussu na how it will go? Pedigree and all supplement only. If you give just that add two bananas with the diet. Else don’t ask it to try.

The cyclists think they are Wangari Mathai or what? We understand you are green citizens and want to avoid pollution. But there are other green citizens in the form of auto drivers. You are showing stunt like Lance Armstrong and this autodriver scolds us using words that he himself don’t know meaning about. How will he know if I have thangachi or not? He doesn’t care. What if I stay in hostel? What will I answer if I’m running away from home and he asks me ‘Veetla sollitu vandhiya?’ Already I will have guilt. 

Pedestrians will do window shopping from the road. Arey, use binoculars and do window shopping from house. There is a procedure to ask lift. You can’t come and fall in front of my bike and ask for a lift. I’m Share auto driver kya? 

Everyone cannot be Ambani and buy helicopters. Walk sensibly. Don’t listen to Abishek Bacchan and walk and talk. Already traffic police are asking regular shares from my pocket money. Don’t make me pay for accidents also.

Be good.

Thank you Local party  for the inspiration :D


PS: I had created a tumblr site and had posted this. Re posting it here, as that site became obsolete :)

Saturday, September 17, 2011

I will simply go ahead and call this article Rahul Dravid

I don't have a stack of statistics to throw or a bunch of anecdotes to quote but if it wasn't for one man I wouldn't have realised the need for perfection in anything you do, The Wall. He is also sometimes known as Rahul Sharad Dravid when his father is angry and summons him to his room.




I remember watching his debut at the Lord's. A recorded footage of course. Me, being the Sourav fan I am, usually skipped the rest of the match every time except for Dada's innings. I grew up as the kid who loved every batsman who could clear the boundary. If you were able to hit a six, you were a superman to me. Be it Tendulkar or Agarkar. Dravid always came off as the guy who slowed things down, brought the run-rate to single digit figures as soon as Sehwag or Sachin got out. But once I crossed the age of 15, run-rate and sixes did not mean as much as consistency or  temperament. 


I started following test cricket more religiously. Dravid and Laxman made me assure myself that white kits are more pleasing to the eye than the coloured kits. With his cover drives and late cuts, it was love at first sight with Dravid. It was that period of school life where discussing stuff like batting average and bowling figures was thought to be  'cool'.  And it was RSD's side who always won the argument when it came to batting average. He made us realise how hard it was to remain consistent. And the guy who was mocked at for bringing the run-rate down and slowing down the game ended up scoring one of the fastest ODI half centuries in the history of Indian cricket.


Dravid is that corporate guy who would come to a business meeting with a tie and shoes even if it was wear-a-t-shirt-to-work day. He was a man who respected the game. He was the man who taught us how to look at it. Dravid was charming and was loved by the girls for the way he was. Dravid was a text book cricketer who was loved by the guys for the magic he cast on the field. He was someone who could not be hated. He was someone who could not be not loved.

He has played at all the positions, fielded at all the positions, kept wickets, bowled, took wickets. He would probably transform into a coach for the Indian team in a few years proving that his name is synonymous with Indian cricket, whatever be the format. 



You feel guilty when you expect someone to perform even at the direst situations where there is nearly no hope of recovery. Dravid ended up making us feel more guilty by delivering every single time he was expected to and even when he wasn't. People would scream out loud that the match is a lost cause even then their hearts would hope for a knock from Dravid. Because people knew him. People believed in him.  He broke down when he couldn't get the team past round one during the world cup when he donned the captain's role. That probably was the only role he thinks he couldn't pull off. I would say he was the captain the team did not deserve and that's the reason they faltered, failed under him.


Dravid is that kid in school who slogs day and night to achieve excellence. And having achieved that, struggles harder to maintain the momentum. Dravid, though performing at top levels almost in every game, probably had the fear of failure all along which made him work hard, harder than the rest and hardest of them all. As  Siddhartha Vaidyanathan has mentioned here  Dravid was the player who never once came into the field without his shirts tucked in. He was the worshipper of the game. He held it that close to his heart.



He hasn't played the blame game. He hasn't criticised his team mates or other players of the game for that matter. He has always been humble, even when he walked into the field with his head held high. He never gave excuses when he failed to exceed expectations. He just did better in the next game. When the formats changed, the game changed, the colours changed, one man remained consistent.


Most of us ended up praising some other performance in the games where Dravid's innings played an integral part but did not contain as many boundaries or wickets. We ended up cursing him when he declared when Sachin was on 194 at Multan. Blaming him for the pathetic exit in 2007.

He endured all that. 
Because he is whatever the country wants him to be. Because sometimes truth is not good enough. Sometimes people deserve more. They want their faith to be rewarded. 

A hero. A hero whom we did not deserve. A hero we needed. He was the silent guardian, a watchful protector, the Dark Knight of Indian cricket.


Tuesday, September 13, 2011

You wouldn't quite care even if I titled this as the next best thing to the next best thing you would ever come across



I'm screwed.
So are you.


There is never a  perfect day. There is never a perfect moment. You can plan a day only as much as you can plan your birth. At the end of the day nothing would have worked according to the plan. Not because your plan failed, but because others' succeeded too. 


Now is the right time. Never wait for the perfect wedding ring. It's not perfect because it's made of the purest gold or the best cut diamond. It's because it's you on the knees and she holding her hands out.

Tomorrow never arrives. Whatever that has to happen eventually gets lost in time. Lowering the temperature on the air conditioner today is not going to kill your neighbour tomorrow.

You do most things not because you like them but because they expect you to. You avoid certain things not because you dislike them but they are judgmental. Most of us die before we figure out who they are. The rest of us realise they were never real.

We are screwed.
So are they.   




Friday, August 26, 2011

கிறுக்கல்கள்-2

காதல், வெட்கம் மற்றும் சில கவிதைக்கு அப்பாற்பட்ட  காரணங்கள்.

கையில் பட்டாம்பூச்சி வண்ணமாய்,
கடற்கரை மண்ணில்  காலடியாய்,
நெஞ்சில் உந்தன் முகம்
சுவடு வைத்து போனதடி.

சென்னை நகரில்,
கோடை கால குழாவைப்போல்,
உன்னை பார்க்கையில் , தாய் மொழியும் மறந்ததடி.

இருட்டிலும் பளிச்சிடும் பற்கள்,
வேலி போட்ட மல்லிகையடி.

ஆணுக்கு நானும்
பெண்ணுக்கு நீயும்
காதலுக்கு நாமும் உவமயடி.

இதுவரை நான் படித்த
கவிதைகளுக்கு அர்த்தம் புரிய வைத்து,
இனி நான் எழுதும் கவிதைகளுக்கு அர்த்தமாய் போனாயடி.

இரவில் நீ குழந்தைக்கு சோறூட்டும் அழகைக்கண்டு
மேகத்தினுள் மறைந்து,
வெண்ணிலவும் வெட்கப்படதடி.

கவித்துவம் 

காதோரம் கருமயிர் காற்றடித்து
கன்னத்தில்விழ
கைவிரலால் களைந்து
கண்சிமிட்டும் கவின்காட்சியை
காணக் கண் கோடிவேண்டும்.

வெள்ளைப்பொய்


வேறொருத்திக்கு நான் எழுதிய கவிதையை படித்து
என் கன்னத்தில் குழி விழுமா? என்றாய்.
ஆம், என்று சொல்லி உன்னை சிரிக்கவைத்து 
தேடினேன்.

உன் கன்னத்தில்.. குழி.



Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Letters from nowhere

Most of the sanest conversations I have are with myself. It's a great joy when you get answers that help, opinions in your favour and appreciation for the most mediocre things that you perform. One can't expect others to do. Not even the best of friends will be able to give you a pat on the back for keeping your desk clean. Every man needs a Tyler Durden, someone within you, to guide, give constant feedback and to push you back up every time you fall down. I thought writing to myself would be fun, would be of help and would even make me feel better. So here,


Dearest me,

None would let you know the truth about yourself unless you stumble upon it by yourself. It's because the world is filled with two kinds of people. People who are very nice to point out the bad things in you and people who are not so nice to point out the good in you. So basically you have to find them yourself but since you are so busy concentrating on important issues like updating your Facebook status, I am here to save the trouble.

Life is not always fair as everyone around preaches. On the contrary it's mostly unfair to you. But the best part is that it's equally unfair to others as well. It never rains just on top of your head. If you get wet, so would the person standing next to you and the next.

None becomes a rocket scientist overnight. It's not like you should not try at all, but to expect immediate results for every action that your perform is natural but pointless. At the same time you shouldn't be investing your time and efforts on something that you know is not going to be fruitful. Like trying to grow apple trees in the Arctic. Remember, hope is the best thing. But it's not the only thing that's required.

You might fail, more than the number of times you would ever succeed. You should. Failure makes the success more dramatic and makes your celebrations better. Appreciate small successes like kicking the stone out of your way or making a baby smile. There are bad days, and then there are days which are worse. Somewhere in between you will have days that you would want to remember. Don't forget to recollect them. They say your entire life flashes before you just before you die. You must know where to fast forward and where to stop. 

Success stories are flawed. They are made to look like what they are today. It's like history. Most of it is too good to be true. None mentions how they met the right people at the right time. None mentions their inspirations. None EVER give out details of those people who gave them their million dollar idea. Success stories are made to inspire and they should end at that. You shouldn't follow anybody but yourself.

Ideal world exists only in philosophy and physics. You can't expect good deeds in return for good deeds. You shouldn't question them too. When you throw stones at a tree it gives you fruits. Do you ever question that? Then you shouldn't be complaining when you get stones in return for fruits.


In the end it all evens out. All you should look forward to in a day is one proper meal, a genuine smile, a hug and a good night's sleep.

Go live. Complaints are not those you would want to tell your kids and grand kids about. They must know that it would have been fun to have spent their lives with you when you were in your teens. You must live such that you have stories that make them smile and not complaints that make them feel bored. You have a whole life in front of you.

As one of your dearest friends said, "Today is the first day in the rest of your life." Don't let the tears blind you from the beautiful life that lay in front of you.

So long.

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Scream

She didn't know where to run. She didn't know where to hide. There wasn't enough time to think. She ran into the room screaming. She didn't know what to do. She paced across the room for a while. She placed her ears on the door and tried to listen. She couldn't hear a thing but she knew he was coming, coming for her. She looked around. She decided to hide inside the closet. She tried to lock it from the inside. She couldn't. She stood there silently, praying. She knew it was only a matter of few minutes. She could hear approaching footsteps. That was it. He opened the door and entered the room. She could see him. He came near the closet. She could hear him breathe. He opened the door slowly. She could hear herself screaming. 
"You two! Play without making noise", shouted mom from the living room. It was his turn to hide.



Sunday, August 7, 2011

Every dog has it's day

"Happy Friendship Day"



Now that 'friendship day' hath cometh, my mobile inbox and facebook wall are being flooded with deeply thought messages like this. I am teary eyed as I read through every single message just like the million other people on whose wall you 'ctrl+v'-ed it. So what is all this hoopla about one particular day to spread fraandsheep? I firmly believe all these 'days' were started by greeting card companies to improve marketing. Except for one particular day which was the brainchild of Cheran in Autograph. It's 'Happy vayasukku vandha day' of course.



So as I sit here overwhelmed by the number of friendship day texts I receive and disgusted by the ultimate pichakarathanam of my mobile service provider I try to place myself in the shoes of those creative geniuses who come up with such 'days'.

There is Mother's day. There is Father's day. And then there is - Wait for it- Parents' day. I am nothing short of spell bound to know of all this. Might work in America but nevertheless its nothing but ultimate douchebag-ism.

You think Google is the source of all the info that is available today, right? You might want to rethink.  Facebook status updates have replaced Google's databases. Did you know that 'International Brother's week' and 'International Sister's week' both fall on the same week? Also thrice in the same month every other month? Beat that. Added incentive is that if you are the first person to put up such a status everyone on your friend-list will wish your brother/sister instead of 
their own brother/sister. Yes there are so many smart phones but very few smart people to note that ctr+v will not change their friend's brother's name into their own brother's.

There is 'international cute puppies day'. Where people upload pictures of KITTEN! Yes, KITTEN!

There's 'World AIDS day'. I don't want to know what people do on that day and I'm pretty sure you wouldn't want to either.

There's 'International Mommies day' which I don't know how is entirely different from International Mother's day. You should be careful to wish your mommy and not your Mother, not even accidentally.

Oh wait, these days are not just days but 'events' on Facebook. Some lonely teenager who couldn't grab a beer or a girl to get laid on a Friday evening decides to spam everyone on Facebook by creating 'events' like FDFS for Korean movies which don't even release in the same continent as his.


Amidst all this there are cool days like 'Pi day' which makes me relieved that some sanity exists in today's world.


All said and done, happy friendship day all. I won't text or wall post you people for I am scared that this post will be reduced to a single twitter hash tag: #meta.


So long.

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

The two faced coin

Thursday 17th March 2011,  7:03 pm


From : abhinaya.karthik@mailsnip.com


To : karthik.abhinaya@mailsnip.com


Subject : empty


Hi. Its high time we talked about stuff Karthik. I have certain things to share. I have been waiting for the right time and now I feel I should be telling all this, for I fear the right time may never come.


***

Thursday 17th March 2011 7:03 pm.


From : karthik.abhinaya@mailsnip.com


To : abhinaya.karthik@mailsnip.com


Subject : empty




Hello. Its high time we talked about stuff Abhi. I have certain things to share. I have been waiting for the perfect moment and now I feel I should be telling all this, for it may be too late.


***


I don't know how or where to start. I thought we'd go on without talking about this but its getting more and more burdensome. By the way did you check the bills that were on the dining table? Last night's pizza is in the fridge. Its been 17 hours since I left home. I don't know when I will be back.

***
I have so much to say and I am not sure where to begin. Its getting heavier by the day. I had the leftovers of last night's pizza. And the bills have been taken care of. I came back an hour ago. The trip was a success. I don't know when you will be back.

***

Karthik, how could you do this to me? After all that happened. How? Do you even understand how I feel?


***


Abhi, how do you even do this to me? Do you feel the same way? I wish you go through this too.


***




Its suffocating Karthik. You know those times when you would go on and on and on? I wish you hadn't talked at all. Those times when I had to talk and keep waiting for your response. I wish I hadn't talked at all. Every time Karthik, every time. Whenever we danced I had to lead. Whenever we kissed I had to be the one who initiated. Come on! What were you even thinking? There are days when all I needed was a hug and a shoulder to cry. And all you would do was stand and stare. Like I conveyed nothing! What were you even thinking? 


***


Its overwhelming Abhi. You know those times when I used to talk and you listen like a baby? I just loved how much you valued putting up with me. You know those moments you talk about everything under the sky? I wish I could make you feel how I feel at those moments. Whenever we danced I let you lead. I didn't attempt to kiss you whenever you didn't want to. I wanted to be different. I wanted to make you feel special. You remember those days when all I did was to sit and look at your face. Those moments were filled with silence but I believe those are the times when we had the deepest of conversations.
***



That cover full of stuff under the bed? What was that? It started stinking. I feel like I don't even know you anymore. Check if the maid had cleaned that. Fuck! Why am I even bothered about that house. I don't want to come back Karthik. It sucks to know that there's no other place to go.


***


I can't find the bouquet under the bed. So I assume you got it. Hope you liked the card too.


***


I don't even know why I'm mailing you all this. I tried telling all this to your face. Then I thought I should be talking to the same face that doesn't react at all.


***


I don't even know why I'm mailing all this. I would love to tell all this to you directly. But you render me speechless, every single time.


***


I wish I never get back home. I don't love you anymore Karthik. Bye.


***


Waiting for you to knock the door anytime. I love you Abhi, more than ever. Missing you. Bye.


**************


Thursday March 17 2011 7.31 pm


The mail service provider was probably flipping a coin to decide whose heart to break first.



Saturday, July 2, 2011

தமிழ் இனி மெல்லச்சாகும்.

புதிய நண்பர்களிடம், பழக ஆரமித்த சில நாட்களில் "தமிழ் படிக்க தெரியுமா?" என்று நான் கேட்பதுண்டு. பலரும் 'இல்லை' என்ற பதிலையே தருவார்கள். மற்றவர்கள் எழுத்து கூட்டி படிக்க நேரம் ஆகிறது. பேச தெரியும் ஆனா பள்ளியில் பிரெஞ்சு படிச்சேன் சமஸ்க்ரிதம் படிச்சேன் என்றெல்லாம் கூறுவது உண்டு. வேறு மொழி தெரிந்து கொள்வதில் தவறில்லை அதுக்காக தமிழ் நாட்டில் பிறந்து, வீட்டில் தமிழ் பேசி வளர்ந்துவிட்டு தமிழ் படிக்க தெரியாது என்று சொன்னால் வருத்தபடதான் முடிகின்றது என்னால்.


இன்றைய கட்டத்தில் நம்மில் யாரும் தமிழ் படிப்பதும் இல்லை, தமிழ் படிப்பதும் இல்லை. பல காரணங்கள் சொல்லலாம். அரசாங்கம் மிகச்சிறப்பாக தமிழ் வளர்க்கிறது. சோகம் என்னவென்றால் அது டில்லியில் மட்டுமே. சட்ட சபையில் சட்டை அவிழாமல் இருக்க தமிழைப்பற்றி பக்கம் பக்கமாக பேசுகின்றனர். நம்மூரில் தமிழ் மாநாடு என்று ஒன்றை நடத்தினார்கள். ரகுமான் இசை அமைத்த பாடலெல்லாம் வெளியிட்டார்கள். அரசாங்கம் மாறியது, முதல் குறிக்கோளாக அந்த மாநாட்டை மக்கள் மறக்க வேண்டும் என்பதைக்கொண்டு அதை பற்றி புத்தகத்தில்கூட இல்லாதவாறு செய்ய முயற்சிகள் நடந்து கொண்டிருக்கின்றன. வெற்றி தமிழக அரசுக்கு. தோல்வி தமிழுக்கு.


"என்னடா இவன் பெரிய திருவள்ளுவன் மாதிரி  தமிழ் தொண்டு பத்தி பேசறானே தமிழ் பாடத்தை எடுத்து படிக்க வேண்டியது தான?" என்று நீங்கள் கேட்பது வாஸ்தவம் தான். வயத்து பொழப்புன்னு ஒன்னு இருக்கே! தமிழை பாடமாக எடுத்து படிக்காவிட்டாலும் பொழுது போக்கிற்காக தமிழ் படிக்கலாமே? 
அனால் அதற்கும் வழி இல்லாமல் போனது. 


விழுக்காடு- என்ன அருமையான வார்த்தை. இந்த ஒரு வார்த்தை சொல்லிவிடும் ஒன்னாம் பகுப்பில் இருந்து பன்னிரெண்டாம் வகுப்பு வரை ஒரு மாணவன் எதற்காக வாழ்கையை செலவிடுகிறான் என்பதை. விழுக்காடு விழுக்காடு என்று மதிப்பென்னுக்க்காகவே வாழ்ந்து பாடம் படிக்கிறான். வாழ்க்கைப்பாடம் நடத்தும் தேர்வில் தோற்றுவிடுகிறான். பள்ளிக்கு பின் விழும் காட்டை தான் விழுக்காடு என்ற வார்த்தை அறிவுருத்துகிறதோ என்னவோ.


எட்டாம் வகுப்பு வரை தமிழ் கட்டாயமாக படிக்கவேண்டும் என்ற விதி கொண்டுவந்தார்கள்  அதையும் ஒழுங்க செஞ்சாங்களா? இல்ல. வள்ளுவனும் தொல்காப்பியரும் எழுதின பாடல்களுக்கு நடுவே "ஒவ்வொரு பூக்களுமே" னு சினிமா பாட்டு. அதுல இலக்கணமும்  தப்பு. கவிச்சுதந்திரம் னு மழுப்பிடுவாங்க. எட்டாவது படிக்கர பையனுக்கு தெரியுமா அதெல்லாம்? யோசனை என்பதையே மறந்தாச்சு.


கலப்புத்தமிழ் உணர்ந்து  திருத்தம் செய்க னு ஒரு பகுதி. ரெண்டு மார்க் வாங்கலாம். ரெண்டு மார்க் தான னு படிக்க முயற்சி கூட  செய்வதில்லை ஒருத்தனும். இப்படி இருந்தா தமிழ் எங்க வளரும்? 


தமிழ் பாடல்களில் தமிழை விட ஆங்கிலம் அதிகமாக உள்ளது. வயலின் னு ஒரு இசைக்கருவிய மறந்தே போயாச்சு. ஒன்னு குத்து பாட்டு இல்ல மேற்கத்திய இசை. கவிதை என்பது வேற ஒருவன் காதலிக்காக வடை மடிச்ச குமுதம் பேப்பர்ல பாத்து  சொல்றதோட முடிஞ்சு போச்சு. தமிழ் செய்தித்தாள் வாசிப்பது அவமானமாம். இதெல்லாம் யார் வளத்து விடறாங்கனு தெரியலை.


தெரிஞ்சே தான் சொன்னாங்க போல இருக்கு 

தமிழ் இனி மெல்லச்சாகும்.

Friday, June 17, 2011

Avan Ivan - a class apart.

Title: Avan Ivan.


Director: Bala.


Cast: Vishal, Arya.




Bala promised us a total comedy script. And he is such an evil minded person. You can never find someone as ruthless and with so much hatred for man kind. What does Bala do in the movie? he makes you laugh. From frame one. Makes you laugh so hard that eventually tears roll down your cheek. And even after that you continue laughing. And then, and then he makes you cry. CRY! 


The story-line is a simple one liner. My guess is he wouldn't have taken more than 30 minutes to narrate the story to the cast. But the screenplay should be appreciated separately. This is not another 'Nanda' or 'Naan Kadavul'. But this movie will stand apart in Bala's career as a unique milestone. Calling this script a complete comic element would be like calling Anbe Sivam a quickie. I don't know how deeply Bala was involved while designing Vishal's character. Bala puts the epic in epicness.


I should say Arya plays a smooth secondary role in the movie. We should recall how big a milestone Naan Kadavul was in Arya's career and Bala has polished the good actor shield of Arya again after movies like Chikku-Bukku and Boss.. which killed the actor in Arya. I have always thought Arya should be made to act and he on his own will can not. I am not blaming his skills but Bala has played the role of the teacher who makes the student study in his life. Excellent timing in the scenes involving humour. And Arya has let himself loose in this movie.


The guy who played the role of 'Highness'. Thamizh cinema will remember this guy for long, rally long. He may not have used his acting skills much but he lives with us through out the movie. He has been bold. Bala uses one such character in almost all his films. I just can't find words to describe how pivotal a role this guy has pulled off. Watch the movie for this guy.


VISHAL: 


Its Bala's nature that he works hard on a character, writes up a narrative and kills us by showing everybody that he will change the image of an actor upside down. Bala can make Charlie Chaplin cry and give us a hit. Vishal's introduction is one of the high points of the movie. A brilliant take off. And then it starts. Its a riot throughout. The sentimental scenes of Arya blow us away. Brotherhood takes a different meaning. Simply put, there are two scenes I will never forget in my life. Who can?! Vishal demonstrates 'Nava-rasam' in a scene. Go for a cardio test if you don't cry in the end. And then the block before the climax and the climax. I personally thought Vishal couldn't act to save his life. And then the Bala phenomenon happened. If Vishal doesn't get an award, not one but many, I would say his standards have grown ahead of the awards. I would watching not once, not twice but thrice at least for Vishal.


Yuvan has done what Raja did to Naan Kadavul. Music that defines and doesn't disturb. The Vishal-Yuvan combo will make you cry in the scene aforementioned. 


I'm dividing the rating into 5 parts. Story, screenplay, Arya, Vishal and the guy who played the role of 'highness'.



Story - 15/20. Screenplay - 17/20. Arya - 18/20. 'Highness' - 18/20. Vishal - 20/20.


Overall the film scores an 88/100. Which gives it an 8.8/10.

Bottomline
:

Bala has risen to a level from where there is no coming back. He should never stop writing. Never stop to surprise us. I'm sorry for all the accusation Bala. You are godlevel, probably beyond. 


Thamizh cinema needs stories. Stories need good actors. Actors need Bala.





Friday, June 10, 2011

Aaranya Kaandam - A new chapter 'also' in Tamil Cinema

Aaranya Kaandam ( Translating to Jungle chapter) is the third chapter in the epic Ramayana. It deals with Raavan kidnapping Sita and the beginning of Ram and Laxman's search for Sita with the help of so many.

The USP of this particular chapter is deception. How Raavan employed Mareech to deceive Ram/Laxman in order to kidnap Sita. And the movie that released with the same name today lives up and does justice to its title.



Title : Aaranya Kaandam.

Director : Thayagarajan Kumararaja.



Cast : Jackie Sheroff, Sampath, Ravi Krishna and Yasmin Ponnappa.





The movie was launched with a great backing from the South Asian Film festival. It won the Grand Jury award at the said function and my hopes were high on this movie and now I'll try to put into words how far it remained true to the hype. I was sitting there taking notes and wrote a rough review of the first half during the interval break. Yes, I was impressed.




The movie starts with the introduction of Singaperumal (Jackie) and Subbu (Yasmin). The first half is racy like you want any fast movie to be. There are no stereotypical fight scene introductory scenes to insist that the plot is over a group of gangsters. Pasupathi's (Sampath) role comes off as a good person among the bad ones. Someone who is smarter than the rest. Ajay Raj of Chennai-28 fame pulls off a comic stint as Chittu. The kid Kodukkapuli and his dad were one of my favorite additions. The dad guy showing innocence, the kid playing a role way above his age and the couple of scenes where the father-son intimacy are shown leave a mark in your mind.  First half is a relatively short one compared to conventional Tamil Cinema and it moves twice its pace and before you even know you hit the interval block. The first half gets interesting in the first fifteen minutes with a number of parallel plots. The interval block couldn't have been better. The cock fight just before the interval block will remind you of the one in Aadukalam, only here its real and graphics were not used. The first half will already leave you guessing the climax. If only it was the usual Tamil cinema story your guess would most certainly come true in the second half and that's where the script scores.

The chase in the beginning of the first half is a remarkable attempt at innovation, at both camera and screenplay. I should say that we all got used to watching the hero being chased by a group in almost one in three movies differing only in the location or the distance or both. This chase focused more on the story and I should say the path on which the story is to travel for the next one hour or so is decided during that chase. All this while Ravi Krishna who played  the character Sappa remains a vestigial character in the movie excepting a few scenes which of course were important. A few scenes in the second half involving Yasmin and Ravi were the ones pulling the reins tight on the horse. They could've let it loose a bit.

The movie then races to the climax. A plan unfolds in front of your eyes, a simple but effective one. Something that will make you go 'bravo'. Before you know the movie reaches the climax. And man, this is one unexpected climax. I waited for my guesses to come true and the script laughed at me every time it proved my guesses wrong.

The dialogues need a special mention. They are raw, crude and exposes the lifestyle of the most primal class of people. And it makes you stick to the movie and relate to the characters.

Now I have to mention Jackie Sheroff separately. He has pulled off a role that none else could. I should say not that none can but none will. The introduction scene indicates the character's impotency and I bet any actor would think twice before saying yes for the inclusion of such a scene.

The Kamalhassan, Rajnikanth, Vijaykanth joke was indeed well played.

And the music. The best thing about this movie was the exclusion of songs. I was glad. There were too many strong scripts that faced criticism because of the inclusion of ridiculous songs. Being a gangster subject one would expect an item number with the mobs dancing and drinking around her. But the director has scored yet again in that area. Yuvan's music did not intervene the  movie at any point. The subtle violin made the dialogues and the monologues even more clear.



A very special mention to S.P. Charan for having believed in the script and for taking a bold attempt to carry the movie on his shoulders. I think he will be paid back with good criticism and sadly this movie doesn't promise commercial success.

The movie ends with THAT character walking away voicing out THAT line and THAT says all about the movie in one line.


To sum up, I think I'll give it a 9.5/10. The 0.5 being taken off just to keep the crew on their feet. I really don't know how Thyagarajan Kumararaja will handle his next movie after having set such a high benchmark for himself.

Bottom line:

I can gladly say we have got a near perfect movie in a very long time.